How Political Correctness Destroys the Brain

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September 3, 2010

Robert Weissberg

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Political Correctness is often viewed as just a nuisance regarding choice of words or telling “offensive” jokes. Wrong. It is a mental condition that debilitates our genetically wired ability to defend ourselves. As a long-time student of this disorder, let me explain its character, how it renders us defenseless and offer suggestions on fighting back.

Political Correctness (PC) is the subordination of truth, often forcefully, to political ideology. PC vigorously converts “ought” into “is” even if nearly everyone knows that “ought” is not “is.” As Larry Summers discovered, if feminist doctrine insists that women and men have innate equal mathematical talent, then this is a “scientific fact” despite all contrary objective evidence. PC turns lies into truths, for example, the perpetrator becomes the victim, to advance an ideology or religious doctrine.

PC can be summarized by its Five Commandments.

First, Thou Shalt Not Offend. This is the preeminent value even if human life is at stake. If a visiting friend wants to visit a black neighborhood with a sky-high crime rate, you give no warning since broaching “black crime” offends blacks, even if no blacks are present.

Second, Thou Shalt Not Even Think Offensive Thoughts. Entertaining “bad” thoughts even subconsciously, is impermissible. In the PC world, “bad thoughts” inevitably leads to “bad behavior” and even unexpressed thoughts can harm, e.g., a male math teacher may unwittingly ignore female students due to unconscious stereotypes about their innumeracy and thus discourage them from obtaining a Ph.D. in math.

Third, Thou shalt purge Society of Evil Thoughts. Purification must be 100%. PC mirrors epidemiology—just one case of smallpox can spread and kill everyone, so one hate crime in an otherwise peaceful society requires immediate action.

Fourth, Thou Shalt Be One’ Own Censor. Utopia arrives when offensive thoughts never enter the brain, and this requires constant self-imposed vigilance. In the meantime, expelling “dangerous thoughts” requires sensitivity training and censoring materials potentially promoting bad thinking. In a phrase, willful blindness.

Five, Thou Shalt Reward the Offended by Taking from Sinners. Today’s political landscape overflows with hyper-sensitive advocacy groups. To offend them, no matter how true the offending remark, will instigate immediate cries for restitution. In universities, for example, broaching a hate fact must be ameliorated with more jobs and programs for the offended group (often called “justice”).

Clearly, PC runs contrary to human nature. Homo Sapiens has survived for over 180,000 years only by confronting harsh reality. PC turns off our hard-wired early-warning radar. Cavemen did not send Cavewomen into battle since admitting male superiority in fighting might offend sensitive women. If they did, the tribe quickly exited the gene pool. Ditto for the ancients who welcomed violence-prone strangers to promote diversity—very few of their offspring live to tell the tale. The survival instinct is often disguised with hypocrisy—white liberals will always be PC on race until their children are bused to a largely black school, then junior is enrolled in a private, nearly all-white school. Worse, achieving “offensive free” brains will inevitably lead to totalitarianism since mild measures like voluntary sensitivity training will be replaced by more Draconian Communist-style brainwashing. In any case, one way or another, PC is antithetical to America as we know it.

PC has become the weapon of choice among gold medal winners in today’s victimhood Olympics. It is just so easy and the PC attack—your words are harmful, insensitive, you are a bigot—can effectively kill bad news messengers and cover the accuser’s own evil. It also can pay-off handsomely. As per Commandment Five, let an FBI agent criticize a Muslim proven group’s terrorist ties, and the predictable outrage will be, “This is dangerous hate, so let us run paid seminars for FBI agents to prevent similar future “hateful” outbursts (and, left unsaid, learn the identities of FBI agents).

PC is an intellectual equivalent of AIDS. It invades the brain, eats out its natural immunity system against legitimate threats and the helpless victim quickly succumbs. And all the while the victim feels great about being caring, tolerant and virtuous. At the national level, this is painless suicide. Hard to imagine a more potent weapon to defeat one’s enemies.

PC cannot be defeated by marshalling sound evidence, no matter how compelling. Forget about “dialogue,” even if “meaningful.” The PC crowd are masters of duplicitous rebuttal—opponent’s facts are “only” dangerous stereotypes, somewhere in the universe exists a contrary fact, the objectionable fact is uncertain (the term, “controversial” often signifies this rejoinder), and, for the academically inclined, all truth is socially constructed so my “truth” is as valid as yours. Particularly popular is that while admitting your fact may technically be true, its expression will cause terrible harm, even violence, and so it is best suppressed. For the PC-infected, what is to be gained by publishing statistics on IQ by immigrant group or the proportion of boys and girls who score above 750 on the math SAT?

The only solution is a blunt public commitment to truth-telling regardless of inflicting discomfort. The doctor visit model is the appropriate approach—don’t mince words when explaining where that nasty rash was acquired. Leave white lies for friends. Admittedly, this is difficult since frankness often risks being ostracized, hostile stares and rebukes about being “harmful” and “insensitive.” But, when the topic is important, just treat this “you-are-offensive” rebuke as a sign that complainers suffer a medical disorder. Their half-eaten brain renders them unable to recognize the truth. PC is a hallucinogenic disorder, a throwback to the 1960s when people fried their brains with LSD.

There is some good news here. The PC folk are cowardly bullies, far more bark than bite, whose key ability is to sense fear in those who might express a plain-to-see truth. PC intimidation is the weapon of choice among the weak. Larry Summers’ feminist attackers had a weak hand and thus had no other choice that to cry “male chauvinist.” That blatantly false epitaph far outshined conducting serious research on male/female cognitive differences (and research might have confirmed Larry’s speculations).

Second, expressing a forbidden but widely recognized truth will embolden like-minded thinkers. PC succeeds when heretics feel isolated. If a second person chimes in, other will join, and soon there is a chorus. Look at the “unexpected” opposition to the ground zero mosque—it only took a few to marshal widespread outrage. Being first, admittedly, requires courage but, on the plus side, stepping forward often brings accolades. I myself have often been told, “Thank goodness you spoke the truth, and now we can all say it though, of course, we may just quote you to be on the safe side.”

Remember, there is no reason to offend needlessly, but we have survived both individually and as a nation by confronting harsh realities. Every person alive today had ancestors who abhorred PC. Let’s hope that 180,000 years of human survival skills have not vanished. When push comes to shove, trust your instinct s about the bad guys.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Robert Weissberg is emeritus professor of political science, University of Illinois-Urbana and currently an adjunct instructor at New York University Department of Politics (graduate). He has written many books, the most recent being: The Limits of Civic Activism, Pernicious Tolerance: How teaching to "accept differences" undermines civil society and Bad Students, Not Bad Schools. Besides writing for professional journals, he has also written for magazines like the Weekly Standard and currently contributes to various blogs.

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Comments (15)

This article is great...

Also there are some really amazing videos online that detail the pc movement and where it came from and why.

Don't drink the Kool-Aid

posted by: Dick
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 07:51 AM

Boy, this articale is LONG overdue! That's half the problem with this country? How dare i EVER entertain a bad thought about the gang members dealing dope on my front porch? Afterall, THEY are black. (not their fault?)

posted by: Steve Ford
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 08:47 AM

Really? Political correctness "destroys the mind." This article sucks. And so does this website.

posted by: Timmy
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 11:25 AM

Timmy obviously has had all of his brain eaten away. It is impossible for him to get out of his PC correct cocoon. So he slings hate at those who can. Further, Timmy you have offended all of us, so please live to your PC standards and apologize. That's the least you can do. If you were truly hones, you'd give reparations for your insensitivities.

posted by: Donny
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 11:52 AM

Donny, it seems you're the one whose brain has been eaten away. You say I'm in a PC cocoon, yet I also sling hate and offend you all. How am I both? We all know that doesn't make sense, Donny. Do a little more thinking before you respond.
BTW, "If you were truly hones" is not English.
Also, "PC correct cocoon" is redundant since the C stands for correct.
You're an idiot, Donny.

posted by: Timmy
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 01:12 PM

And oh, Steve Ford, you're a racist. You don't think there are white drug dealers? Go f*ck yourself.
And the fat douche bag who wrote this article can go f*ck himself.

posted by: Timmy
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 01:20 PM

I think it's a great article.

It is a shame that timmy is such a masochist. He does not like the article, or the site, but goes in three times to show how much he doesn't like the site, and is happy to dish out abuse.

I am sorry Timmy, but if you tell someone to go do that to him- (or her, or transgendered-) self, you are being offensive.

You are breaking the First Commandment of PC: "Thou shalt not offend".

You could soon be sent to a sensitivity training gulag, run by women like Elena Kagan with hairy armpits, or worse, deemed a heretic and forced to carry a bag over your head.

Don't worry, with a bag over your head you will blend in with all the hordes of burka-clad women (and LGBT and indeterminate persons of different but equal status and women and LGBT members of different but equal cultural and ethnic origins) who are increasingly roaming our streets.

All Hail to Political Correctness!
And Timmy, if you don't like a website, don't post on the comments and stick around.

I am sure there is a womderful movie you could watch or course you could attend - "how to juggle with height-challenged persons, including those of indeterminate gender....."

posted by: American Patriot
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 01:43 PM

Buddy, I could care less about political correctness for the most part. If you don't want to be PC, then don't be PC, it's that simple. Just remember to only get mad at yourself when you p*ss off entire demographics because you're too stupid to realize what does and doesn't offend them.
But seriously, PC "destroys the brain?" The only reason I clicked on this headline is because I thought it was a joke. And I had to stick around to tell you all what dipsh*ts you are. Especially the author. Guranteed you're all white, middle-aged men, probably from the South or something. Conservative scumbags. Go f*ck yourselves. How's this for PC?

posted by: Timmy
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 02:07 PM

A great example of what Prof. Weissberg is talking about is evidenced in the recent acid attack which is in the news. The First Commandment is scrupulously observed in the media outlets by totally avoiding the fact that the victim is white and the assailant black or leaving the description for the very end of the story. Also, the crime is referred to as a "random" act, just as it invariably is for a crime of this nature. If, however, the media gets their hands on the wished for but rare man-bites-dog situation where there is a white perp and a black vic, just substitute "hate crime" wherever "random" had previously appeared.

Likewise, notice how the victim in this story scrupulously observes the Second Commandment when she opined that she was looking for someone to be angry with but that everyone had been so nice to her, so there was no one to direct her anger towards. Uh ... what about the witch who ruined her life? Mustn't think impure thoughts though. Commandments Three and Four apply, as well, here.

posted by: Mike Berman
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 05:19 PM

Outstanding and I will be sharing this with all the
'comrades' we know, heh, heh.

One must not forgot the othet two toxic stews of
this disasterous thinking:
Diversity, and multiculturalism.

To Timmy:
so wrong. We are not all middle aged men, white, conservatives from the
south. What a ridiculous
assumption. Morons like you
do not offend us, we find you
entertaining. You reduce
yourself to the lowest level
you can by trying to be
offensive. Most demosocialistacrats do.
How about some more wisdom?

posted by: PatriotUSA
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 07:45 PM

Timmy is probably a MUSLIM! ;)

posted by: Awhitemiddleagedzionist
Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 03:03 AM

The 6th and 7th PC Commandments are as follows:

VI Thou shalt never admit that thou is wrong.

VII Thou shalt never apologize for unintended consequences that inevitiably follow a PC position.

Recommended reading:

The Liberal Mind: The Psychologial Causes of Political Madness by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr., M.D.

posted by: Dead Man's Pants
Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 04:18 PM

Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, shame on you. Do you not understand the words "Family Security Matters"? I'll say it r e a l s l o w f o r y o u It's a family orintated forum and your fowl demeaning manners are N O T W E L C O M E D H E R E. Get it pal, don't go away mad just go away. I will be filing a complaint against your foul manners and your use of the foul language as well, best of luck, you are on notice YOU WILL BE BANNED.
PC is politically craziness at it best, for the weak and demented minds who cannot and will not think for themselves. A brain is truely a terrible thing to waste, but then again, you must first have a brain to work with to understand.

posted by: Ret. Marine
Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 08:07 AM

Personally, I find it offensive that you all perpetuate narrow mindedness and the intolerance of other demographics and cultures in the name of "family security." You're all insane. Please, Ret. Marine, report me.
You are all truly ignorant people. You're incapable of seeing things from the perspectives of those with different backgrounds. Political correctness, like anything else, can be a valuable tool.
Of course, in this case, it's not warranted. You're all very ignorant. It truly sucks sharing a country with you f*ggots.

posted by: Timmy
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 08:58 AM

I'm sorry, but this article is garbage. I've read some of Weissberg's other articles and the man is an obvious bigot.
I have to agreed with Timmy here, you're all a bunch of narrow-minded conservatives.

posted by: Nonplussed
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 05:48 PM

Eurabia Watch

How Political Correctness Destroys the Brain